Community sports facilities on the rise
MINHANG District is building a “15-minute sports circle,” putting some level of sporting facilities within 15 minutes of distance to every residential complex.
New facilities will be built with costs in mind so that residents who use them won’t be stuck with high user fees.
Altogether 16 community sports centers have been included in current plans, with seven underway. They cover 12 subdistricts and most residential areas. Neighborhood communities will be responsible for operating the facilities.
Take a cue from similar systems in countries like Japan, the Minhang plan aims for facilities that are resident-oriented and utilize existing resources like parks, greenbelts and waterfronts. More lanes for walkers and joggers are included in the plan.
New sporting facilities will sometimes be built on land where illegal buildings have been demolished by authorities or on exiting land sites operating outside the law.
One new greenbelt area that came available at the end of last year in the northern part of Minhang, for example, covers 20,000 square meters. It now includes a leisure activity square, basketball courts and an extensive exercise zone.
Huacao Football Field sits on a site that was once crammed with the helter-skelter structures that posed safety risks. The buildings were demolished and replaced with two football fields.
In cooperation with Shanghai Clever Football Club, which is led by former national team player Fan Zhiyi, new fields are developing major sporting events.
Jixin Park in Meilong Town was completed in 2019. It uses themes of folk stories and rural farm like in its exercise venues.